Many gaming venues employ player tracking (player loyalty) systems. Players participating in the system are provided with a player tracking card, such a smart card which they can insert into a card reader associated with a gaming machine while they play the gaming machine if they wish to accrue reward points which can be redeemed at a later date, for example, for food or beverages. Current player tracking systems require the player to leave their card in the car reader while playing in order to be eligible to accrue points. A problem with this approach is that player's tend to lose cards by leaving them in the card reader. One attempt to address this problem has been to provide lanyards that can be kept around the player's neck while the card is inserted, however the position of the card reader can make this uncomfortable or impractical.
There is a need for an alternative player tracking system and method.